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<h1 id="title">Clarifications</h1>
<div dir="ltr" id="content" lang="en"><span class="anchor" id="top"></span>
<span class="anchor" id="line-1"></span><p class="line867"><strong> (from <a class="https" href="https://consultation.ffii.org/Clarifications">https://consultation.ffii.org/Clarifications</a>) </strong> <span class="anchor" id="line-2"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-3"></span><p class="line867"><div class="table-of-contents"><p class="table-of-contents-heading">Contents<ol><li>
<a href="#FFII_requests_in_order_to_clarify_non-patentability_of_software">FFII requests in order to clarify non-patentability of software</a></li><li>
<a href="#A1._Definition_of_.22Computer-Aided_Invention.22">1. Definition of "Computer-Aided Invention"</a></li><li>
<a href="#A2._Definition_of_.22computer_program.22">2. Definition of "computer program"</a></li><li>
<a href="#A3._Objects_of_Product_and_Process_Claims">3. Objects of Product and Process Claims</a></li><li>
<a href="#A4._Exclusion_of_Program_Claims">4. Exclusion of Program Claims</a></li><li>
<a href="#A5._Freedom_of_Publication">5. Freedom of Publication</a></li><li>
<a href="#A6._Negative_Definition_of_.22Field_of_Technology.22">6. Negative Definition of "Field of Technology"</a></li><li>
<a href="#A7._Positive_Definition_of_.22Technical.22_and_.22Field_of_Technology.22">7. Positive Definition of "Technical" and "Field of Technology"</a></li><li>
<a href="#A8._Negative_Definition_of_.22Contribution.22">8. Negative Definition of "Contribution"</a></li><li>
<a href="#A9._Positive_Definition_of_.22Contribution.22_and_.22Invention.22">9. Positive Definition of "Contribution" and "Invention"</a></li><li>
<a href="#A10._Freedom_of_Interoperation">10. Freedom of Interoperation</a></li></ol></div> <span class="anchor" id="line-4"></span><hr /><p class="line874"> <span class="anchor" id="line-5"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-6"></span><p class="line867">
<h1 id="FFII_requests_in_order_to_clarify_non-patentability_of_software">FFII requests in order to clarify non-patentability of software</h1>
<span class="anchor" id="line-7"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-8"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-9"></span><p class="line874">The legal principles needed to exclude software and business methods from patentability are quite clear. The FFII has attempted to summarise them as “Ten Core Clarifications”.  <span class="anchor" id="line-10"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-11"></span><p class="line874">The 10CC were drafted as core amendments to the failed EU Softwarepatent Directive proposal. <span class="anchor" id="line-12"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-13"></span><p class="line874">These principles were in June/July 2005 confirmed by political majority of the European Parliament. They were supported by four political groups (PES, Greens, GUE/NGL, IND/DEM), and substantial parts also by three other  other political groups (EPP/ED, ALDE, UEN). The European Parliament clarification on software patentability should be included in any proposal introducing the Community Patent (Articles of the Software Patent Directive (11979/1/2004 - C6-0058/2005 - 2002/0047(COD)) and numbers of the amendments in brackets (P6_AMA(2005)0207)). <span class="anchor" id="line-14"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-15"></span><p class="line874">The aim is now to defend the substantive provisions of Article 52 of the European Patent Convention against abusive case law interpretation ("as such" tricks, weakening of technical requirement e.g "further technical effects"-teaching) and any direct or indirect codification thereof.  <span class="anchor" id="line-16"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-17"></span><p class="line867">
<h1 id="A1._Definition_of_.22Computer-Aided_Invention.22">1. Definition of "Computer-Aided Invention"</h1>
<span class="anchor" id="line-18"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-19"></span><p class="line874">A “Computer-aided invention”, also inappropriately called “computer-implemented invention”, is an invention in the sense of patent law the performance of which involves the use of a programmable apparatus. <span class="anchor" id="line-20"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-21"></span><p class="line867">
<h1 id="A2._Definition_of_.22computer_program.22">2. Definition of "computer program"</h1>
<span class="anchor" id="line-22"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-23"></span><p class="line874">A “computer” is a realisation of an abstract machine consisting of entities such as input/output, processor, memory, storage space and interfaces for information exchange with external systems and human users. “Data processing” is calculation with abstract component entities of computers. A “computer program” is a data processing solution which can, when described in a predefined language, be executed by computers. <span class="anchor" id="line-24"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-25"></span><p class="line867">
<h1 id="A3._Objects_of_Product_and_Process_Claims">3. Objects of Product and Process Claims</h1>
<span class="anchor" id="line-26"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-27"></span><p class="line874">A computer-aided invention may be claimed as a product, that is as a programmed apparatus, or as a process carried out by such an apparatus. <span class="anchor" id="line-28"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-29"></span><p class="line867">
<h1 id="A4._Exclusion_of_Program_Claims">4. Exclusion of Program Claims</h1>
<span class="anchor" id="line-30"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-31"></span><p class="line874">A patent claim to a computer program, either on its own or on a carrier, shall not be allowed. <span class="anchor" id="line-32"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-33"></span><p class="line867">
<h1 id="A5._Freedom_of_Publication">5. Freedom of Publication</h1>
<span class="anchor" id="line-34"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-35"></span><p class="line874">The creation, publication or distribution of information can never constitute a patent infringment. <span class="anchor" id="line-36"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-37"></span><p class="line867">
<h1 id="A6._Negative_Definition_of_.22Field_of_Technology.22">6. Negative Definition of "Field of Technology"</h1>
<span class="anchor" id="line-38"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-39"></span><p class="line874">While products and processes in all fields of technology are patentable inventions regardless of whether or not they involve computer programs, the subject matter and activities within the computer programs are not patentable on their own. <span class="anchor" id="line-40"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-41"></span><p class="line867">
<h1 id="A7._Positive_Definition_of_.22Technical.22_and_.22Field_of_Technology.22">7. Positive Definition of "Technical" and "Field of Technology"</h1>
<span class="anchor" id="line-42"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-43"></span><p class="line874">“Technology” is applied natural science. “Technical” means “belonging to a field of technology”. <span class="anchor" id="line-44"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-45"></span><p class="line867">
<h1 id="A8._Negative_Definition_of_.22Contribution.22">8. Negative Definition of "Contribution"</h1>
<span class="anchor" id="line-46"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-47"></span><p class="line874">A computer-aided invention shall not be regarded as making a technical contribution merely because it uses better algorithms so as to reduce the need for processing time, storage space or other resources within the data processing system. Accordingly, innovations involving computer programs which do not solve any problems of applied natural science beyond the improvement of data processing efficiency shall not be patentable. Computer-aided inventions are not considered to make a technical contribution merely because they make better use of data processing resources such as processing time or storage space. <span class="anchor" id="line-48"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-49"></span><p class="line867">
<h1 id="A9._Positive_Definition_of_.22Contribution.22_and_.22Invention.22">9. Positive Definition of "Contribution" and "Invention"</h1>
<span class="anchor" id="line-50"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-51"></span><p class="line874">An “invention” is a contribution to the state of the art in a field of technology. The contribution is the set of features by which the scope of the patent claim as a whole is considered to differ from the state of the art. The contribution must be technical, that is, comprise technical features and belong to a field of technology. Without a technical contribution, there is no patentable subject-matter and no invention. The technical contribution must fulfil the conditions for patentability. In particular, it must be novel and not obvious to a person skilled in the art. <span class="anchor" id="line-52"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-53"></span><p class="line867">
<h1 id="A10._Freedom_of_Interoperation">10. Freedom of Interoperation</h1>
<span class="anchor" id="line-54"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-55"></span><p class="line874">Wherever the use of a patented technique is necessary in order to ensure interoperability between two different data processing systems, in the sense that no equally efficient and equally effective alternative non-patented means of achieving such interoperability between them is available, such use is not considered to be a patent infringement, nor is the development, testing, making, offering for sale or licence, or importation of programs making such use of a patented technique to be considered a patent infringement. <span class="anchor" id="line-56"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-57"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-58"></span><p class="line862">See also: <a class="http" href="http://swpat.ffii.org/papers/europarl0309/amends05/juri0504/mgp/mgp00001.html">10CC Presentation by Hartmut Pilch (Jun 2005 CCIA Conf)</a> <span class="anchor" id="line-59"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-60"></span><p class="line862">Next: <a class="nonexistent" href="https://ffii.org/Complaint_Procedure">Complaint_Procedure</a> <span class="anchor" id="line-61"></span><hr /><p class="line874"> <span class="anchor" id="line-62"></span>Version: 1.0b <span class="anchor" id="line-63"></span><span class="anchor" id="bottom"></span></div><p id="pageinfo" class="info" lang="en" dir="ltr">Clarifications  (last edited 2009-08-15 23:47:14 by <span title="??? @ localhost[127.0.0.1]">localhost</span>)</p>

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